Archive for October, 2011

Have you ever decided that you want to change something in your life? Maybe you have said to yourself that you want to exercise more or that you want to spend more time working on a hobby. Maybe you have told yourself that this year you only want to have clothes in your closet that you really wear or that this year you want to be more organized, have less clutter in your home, and be on time for all your appointments. You may have guessed that these are things I sometimes hear people say!

The owner of the fitness studio I attend often posts thought provoking statements on the chalkboard outside the front door of the studio. This week the chalkboard reads “if nothing changes, nothing changes”. Dan frequently tells us if you don’t add more to your workout you won’t see the changes you are hoping for as a result working out.

If you really want to change then you have to make changes in your habits and routines. That is really hard to do and it takes time, perseverance, and patience. Small changes are the easiest to make. So, start with baby steps. Let’s say you have decided to only have clothes in your closet that you really wear. When you go to put an outfit together and you decide, after trying on a combination of clothes, that this particular combination doesn’t look right. Something just doesn’t make you feel like you want to walk out the door dressed this way. Don’t put those items back in your closet! Take a moment. Figure out which item (or items) is simply wrong. Put those things into a shopping bag. When the bag is full take it to a donation center, like Goodwill. Someone else will make great use of your clothes. If you follow this routine you will have only those clothes that you want to wear in your closet.

What is it in your life that you want to change? Are you just making noise or are you ready to do something differently in order to make that change you have been talking about happen?

This past Saturday I went to a yoga class. This was my first class in a few years. I had not taken in class since the surgery on my ankle and was a little fearful of some of the poses. As usually happens at the beginning of an exercise class, the instructor asked those participants she did not already know if they had any injuries. I told the instructor about my ankle and then the class started. It was a wonderful class and I was so happy to have set aside the time to attend. At one point during the class, the instructor helped me modify one of the poses so that I would not strain my ankle and so that I would have the full benefit of that pose. After she provided me with that modification she told the class that we were all there in the class to have the benefits of personal instruction and modifications and not to hesitate to ask for help. Further, she said that if we wanted to we could have rented a yoga DVD and practiced yoga on our own. Then she said sometimes students are afraid to come to class and try new poses because they think they will not be able to do it. As I thought about what the instructor was saying I thought it related directly to my professional organizing services. Sometimes people are reluctant to begin the organizing process because they don’t know where to start. It is easier when you have a professional organizer by your side to guide you through the process and to teach you strategies that are modified to suit your learning style and your lifestyle. Just as it was easier for me to complete the yoga class with the instructor helping me and teaching me how to modify certain poses. If you have an organizing project in mind and don’t know here to start or if you are feeling overwhelmed by the clutter in your life find a professional organizer to make it easier for you!

Three is a wonderful number. Three is easy to count up to. Think about this; a race begins with ‘On your mark, get set, go!’ That’s three short phrases. I use the power of three as an organizing tool. It’s easy to remember three things at a time. Three is also not an overwhelmingly huge number. Let’s face it, when you get to the second item on your list (if you are remembering three things) you are more than half way finished! Take a look at your list of things you want to accomplish. See if there are any items that could be logically grouped together or perhaps things that would naturally fall in a sequence. Then try and group them in threes. Finally, think of some great short (quick) rewards for yourself. Things like having a quiet few minutes enjoying a cup of tea and a book or going for a walk or perhaps taking a few minutes to chat with a friend. I bet if you use this organizing strategy you’ll find that your lengthy list of things to do is quickly reduced. It is so easy to accomplish three quick tasks. What three things are you going to do today?